Jan 12, 2016
While we were away on our holiday break, there were a few...uh...developments...in the world of Star Trek, too. The first trailer for Star Trek Beyond was released along with Star Wars: The Force Awakens! We'll break down what we thought of it--AND why we're not freaking out yet. We're also going to take some time to talk about the lawsuit brought against Axanar Productions by CBS and Paramount Pictures for copyright infringement.
In full disclosure, we've both donated to Axanar on two different occasions. We are not attorneys and do not claim to know the intricacies of intellectual property law. There are things we’ve observed and questions/concerns was have AS DONORS that will be the focus of our discussion in today's episode.
Allow us to say up front that we have absolutely no beef or problem with Alec Peters, Rob Burnett, or anyone associated with Axanar. We’ve had Alec on our podcast twice--once at our invite and once at Axanar's request. We've asked our listeners to consider donating to this project in the past, and we feel justified in asking some of these questions in the wake of the lawsuit.
Let us also say that we do NOT believe that anyone associated with Axanar has done anything illegal or malfeasant in any way. That's not what this episode is about.
Most importantly, we want to see the Axanar feature completed. We LOVE the concept. We LOVE the story. Truthfully, that's why we donated our money in the first place. We hope for a resolution in this dispute so the movie can be made and fans around the world can enjoy the movie.
We'll also kick off our Trek50 Project for Star Trek's 50th Anniversary and YOU play a direct part in it! All you have to do is tell us about the very first time you ever watched Star Trek! Find out more in today's episode or on our Trek50 page!
Axanar Reference Links
- TrekBBS Post on CBS' "Rules of Engagement" for fan films: http://www.trekbbs.com/threads/cbss-rules-of-engagement-for-star-trek-fan-films.187825/page-2
- Official Axanar Podcast, Episode 20: http://www.trek.fm/axp/20
- Official Axanar Podcast, Episode 31: http://www.trek.fm/axp/31
- Trek Geeks Podcast, Episode 19: http://trekgeeks.com/archives/2462
- Trek Geeks Podcast, Episode 23: http://trekgeeks.com/archives/2525
- TheWrap article on Axanar/CBS Meeting in August: http://www.thewrap.com/how-1-1-million-star-trek-fan-movie-has-escaped-studio-shutdown-so-far/
- Alec Peters' rebuttal to article on TheWrap: http://www.axanarproductions.com/axanar-and-cbs/
- Official document of the suit filed against Axanar Productions: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2660454-Startreklawsuit.html
- Alec Peters' statement on the lawsuit: http://www.axanarproductions.com/cbs-and-axanar/